Located in two hours south of Sydney, the Kangaroo Valley house is twenty meters long and 7 meters wide. It was built out of simple readily available materials (concrete, steel, glass and timber), not so much because the builders wished to make a statement, but for practical reasons. In order to get to the site the construction crew had to drive along a precarious winding path, so the project’s robust form and straightforward assembly was a boon.

The house is divided into a living area and two individual bedrooms. The living area takes the form of a simple rectangular square with one solid wall and retractable glass all around. The single-span composite timber beams support the photovoltaic-laden roof, which is angled into a V-shape to improve the efficiency of the building. The butterfly-shaped roof also acts as as a sunshade and shelter while serving to support the building underneath. A lovely pond rounds out the project, which strives to strike a harmonious balance with its site.